Matt Carthy
Question:10. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the proposed timeline to honour the Government commitment to recognise the state of Palestine. [28846/23]
View answerThursday, 15 June 2023
Questions (10)
Oral answers (7 contributions)
In the context of the Tánaiste's conversation with the Leas-Cheann Comhairle in respect of tangible things the Irish Government can do to support the Palestinian people as they face Israeli aggression and apartheid, one of the practical things the Government could do is to enact the agreed position of this House and to recognise the state of Palestine. Will the Tánaiste give the House a timeframe as to when he intends to do that?
The programme for Government states the Government will "[h]onour our commitment to recognise the State of Palestine as part of a lasting settlement of the conflict, or in advance of that, when we believe doing so will progress efforts to reach a two-state solution or protect the integrity of Palestinian territory". I have emphasised on several occasions that the timing and context of any such decision would need to take account of a number of considerations. In particular, it is necessary to assess whether the resulting loss of influence would be matched by a commensurate benefit for the Palestinian people and a positive impact on a sustainable peace on the basis of a two-state solution. My judgment at present is that this is not the case.
It is clear the current situation is deeply troubling. At the same time, over recent months, we have witnessed an increase in international engagement.
I welcome the discussions which took place in Aqaba and Sharm el-Sheikh over the religious holiday period, which brought both parties around the table, albeit with a relatively limited focus on de-escalation. The United Nations Security Council has been seized of this matter, issuing a consensus statement on 20 February, reiterating a strong opposition to all unilateral measures that impede peace. It is also significant that the UN General Assembly has sought an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, ICJ, on the legal consequences arising from Israel's prolonged occupation.
I have asked my Department to begin work on preparing a written statement. I plan to seek Government approval for the submission of that statement to the court in advance of the July deadline. My priority is to underline the need for these efforts of the international community to enhance the prospect of meaningful engagement between the parties with a view to restoring a political horizon towards a two-state solution. Ireland's bilateral engagement with the Palestinian National Authority, notably our programme of assistance to the Palestinian people, also reinforces our commitment to the development of a viable, sovereign Palestinian state, living in peace alongside the State of Israel. In 2023, Ireland will provide more than €16 million in development and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, including measures aimed at building the institutions of a Palestinian state.
The difficulty and reality, which I think the Tánaiste acknowledged in his earlier remarks, is that Israeli actions in breaching international law, engaging in an apartheid regime and committing war crimes are becoming more blatant and glaring by the day. I think he also acknowledged that the EU, because of the position some of the governments, to their shame, have taken in respect of Israel in particular, will not take defining action or the level of action required to in any way put pressure on Israel to change tack. Therefore, it will be left up to individual states, through independent foreign policy, to take meaningful action. We can look for excuses not to do things all the time, but recognition of the state of Palestine has been supported by the Tánaiste's party in this House. It now needs to be followed up with action by the Tánaiste in his current position in the Government.
We have worked with other like-minded states. There are like-minded states in the EU that share our position on Palestine and the Palestinian question. We have met several of them, collectively. At this time, I would argue with the Deputy, from a judgment of this situation, that it is more effective to see if we can build a greater critical mass of member states prepared to jointly work on this issue and take a position than just going it alone right now. That would be far more powerful and impactful than individuals going it alone. It is in the context of putting pressure on the Israeli Government towards the two-state solution track, as opposed to the current government's approach of the expansion of settlements and increased violence and attacks on Palestinian homes.
My fear is that the longer we delay these types of measures, the less likely it is that there will be a Palestinian state in a two-state solution to actually recognise. I welcome that the Tánaiste indicated the Government will make a submission to the International Court of Justice about the clarification it is preparing in respect of the commission I referenced earlier. Will that submission underline the opinion of this House, as agreed in resolution, I think, last year, that Israel is in fact engaging in the annexing of the West Bank? That is the fundamentally important point, in my view. We need the International Court of Justice to declare. That declaration should and must lead to actual action to bring an end to this scandalous situation.
There is a huge irony in people who oppose a two-state solution in Ireland supporting it in Palestine. Nobody believes partition is an acceptable solution here, yet somehow we think the ethnic and racist partition of Palestine is a solution. Nobody in Palestine believes that any more. They increasingly recognise that the Oslo Accords were a smokescreen through which Israel would continue the ethnic cleansing and annexation of Palestinian territory. Now, even the UN Human Rights Committee, which I believe the Tánaiste's Department met this week, as did we, is now asking for opinions. It is clearly its view that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory is now permanent. In other words, it has no intention of dismantling the settlements or coming to a peaceful resolution, which has big legal consequences. Will the Tánaiste give the Palestinians a bit more than tea and sympathy and recognise the reality of what Israel is doing to them?
Last year, I met Mahmoud Abbas, who came to Ireland, and I also met the Palestinian Prime Minister on several occasions. Their ask on that occasion was to strongly support the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly in respect of the advisory opinion, which Ireland did and it was successful. I have asked my Department, in response to Deputy Carthy's comment, to begin preparing a written statement to the International Court of Justice in relation to its advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from Israel's prolonged occupation of Palestinian territory since 1967. I plan to seek Government approval for the submission of that statement to the court in advance of the July deadline. We are also talking to other European Union and like-minded states to discuss our approach to the submission as we work through the preparation phase. It will be detailed work. We must use every available international forum and accountability mechanism, such as the ICJ, to continue to put pressure.